International patent specifications WO2006/062415 and WO2012/020362 describe adjustable, poly-axial hinges. Both patent specifications describe a poly-axial hinge in which height adjustment of the mounting element is facilitated by adjusting the height of the distal region of an arm (to which the mounting element is connected) relative to the proximal region of the arm. This adjustment is especially important for high loading applications, because it allows the hinge to be mounted first, then any fine adjustment necessary can be made.
Poly-axial hinges may also be used to support building façades. Wind loading and pressure changes on façade panels can cause stress on the panel if it is mounted rigidly. Therefore, there is need for articulation of the mounting element to compensate for slight movement of the panel due to such wind loading, and pressure changes. An effective means for facilitating articulation of the mounting element is important while also being low maintenance and suitable for high cycle and high loading applications.
In many types of architectural design (residential and/or commercial) it is often desirable to hinge large and/or very heavy panels in order to achieve a desired aesthetic goal.
The poly-axial hinges described above are particularly adapted to high load and very high load applications where large span or heavy panels are mounted. One example is for glass panels which are typically heavy and it is often desirable to hinge large panels of glass. The hinges described above (in WO2006/062415 and WO2012/020362) for this type of application are complex, typically made from stainless steel to withstand the elements, and manufactured to very tight machining tolerances in order to achieve smooth operation, long life, and to eliminate unwanted movement or ‘play’. However, these hinges are capable of swinging a panel or door through approximately only 90-100 degrees at best.
It would be also be desirable to provide a high precision and/or high strength hinge assembly adapted for high and/or very high load applications, that also had an improved range of motion, while still remaining relatively compact. It would additionally be particularly desirable to provide such an improved range of motion hinge, adapted for also mounting large thickness panels in the range of 5-90 mm thick or more.
In this specification, where reference has been made to external sources of information, including patent specifications and other documents, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the present invention. Unless stated otherwise, reference to such sources of information is not to be construed, in any jurisdiction, as an admission that such sources of information are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hinge mounting assembly or hinge assembly which overcomes or at least partially ameliorates some of the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public with a useful choice.